if no agreement is reached on the fiscal cliff. this twenty five minute event took police at the veteran affair offices in washington, d.c. >>> thank you, tommy. first, let me thank secretary panetta for the unwavering support for the here at the va and the men and women who wear and have worn the uniform of the nation. our close partnership with the immediating we had -- meeting we had today on their behalf has never been more important as it is today. as we enter the holiday season i want to thank the men and whoim spend their holiday away from the families defending the nation. we're grateful for their the service and sacrifice. as we have discussed very little what we do here at va -- most of what we work on originated in dodd and that's why achieving our priorities at va requires the close and collaborative working relationship. we have more to do but with president obama's strong support and guidance we have brought the two departments closer together than ever before. we have underwritten joint vad. we began harmonizing our